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Mainely Character Scholarship Sponsored by Northeast Bank Awarded to Windham High School Student

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Windham and Portland, Maine

July 20th, 2010

Samiratu Abdul Karim was recently awarded the 2010 Arnold Bushner-Mainely Character Scholarship, sponsored by Northeast Bank and presented at the recent awards assembly at Windham High School.

Samara was selected from more than 250 applicants from across the state to receive this highly competitive scholarship. She participated in a rigorous process that included an application, essay and personal interview. Award recipients are selected based on their leadership, community involvement and most importantly, character.

“Character is about staying strong and overcoming obstacles in order to maintain a high standard of integrity, responsibility for your life and care for the lives of others. Samara has demonstrated her high level of character and we are proud to be a part of making this scholarship possible for her through Mainely Character,” says Scott Blake, a Mortgage Loan Officer at Northeast Bank who presented the award to Miss Karim.

A little more than three years ago, Samara was living with her grandmother in Ghana with 20 some other relatives and friends in a small home. Her grandmother was a guiding force in her life, stressing the importance of an education. After coming to the US, Samara started school as a freshman at Windham High School. Faced with all of the challenges of adapting to a new culture and learning English at the same time, Samara overcame every obstacle and became a top student through hard work, determination, and strength of character.

In the community, Samara became involved in fundraising for Multiple Sclerosis events and began volunteering at Mercy Hospital. Her bright and electric personality has made her a favorite among patients. Samara’s goal is to study Medicine and become a doctor. She will be attending the University of New Hampshire in the fall.

Mainely Character was established in 2000 to provide scholarships to Maine high school seniors who have demonstrated a steadfast commitment to the principles of courage, integrity, responsibility and concern for others. In 2009, the organization awarded $7,500 in scholarships, including this $2,500 scholarship named in memory of Mainely Character’s founder Arnie Bushner, who believed that a student's character should count equally with academics and athletics.

Mary Lynn Engel, vice president of Mainely Character explained, "We are grateful to our donors and sponsors. They allow us to recognize and showcase Maine students like Samara.”

Mainely Character is accepting new sponsors and donors to continue providing Maine scholarships to Maine students. For more information visit www.mainelycharacter.org.

About Northeast Bank

Northeast Bank, a leader in delivering one-stop shopping for financial services, is headquartered in Lewiston, Maine and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northeast Bancorp (NASDAQ: NBN). The Company has approximately $612 million in assets as of April 30, 2010 and operates 23 retail outlets, including 10 bank branches, 12 insurance offices and 3 financial centers serving the financial needs of western, central, mid-coastal and southern Maine, as well as seacoast New Hampshire. Information regarding Northeast Bank can be found on its website at www.northeastbank.com or by contacting 1-800-284-5989.

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